Chapter 13 - A Guardian's Tutorial (I)

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Lucian sprang forward, clutching the handle of the dagger strapped across his thigh. As he advanced, Lucian made sure to pay close attention to any changes occurring to his surroundings. After all, it wasn't hard to be blindsided in this type of environment.

Since there was no proper enclosure, and trees circled them with narrow gaps on every side, Lucian lacked the proper means to secure every direction. Luckily, these opponents didn't seem too aware of positioning tactics.

They retained the same intelligence as a feral beast with only their reckless and relentless charges posing any danger.

Nevertheless, Lucian tried his best to prepare himself. Once he was within 10 meters of the beast, he finally withdrew the weapon, telling himself he was ready. Although his movements appeared clumsy, he possessed the required dexterity standard to refrain from dropping his weapon.

Still, as Cezar noticed his movements, he scoffed, 'Did we really just pick up a novice? God, I hope this is judged individually. If not, then I'll have to say something. I'm not a trainer. Not to mention, what Awakened doesn't possess prior knowledge of weaponry?!'

When Lucian brandished the dagger, he wielded it with a neutral grip, but it was held at an awkward angle. Typically, when using a dagger, the focus wasn't to wield it like a sword. Firstly, the length difference of the blade made that movement method obsolete, requiring more finesse to capitalize on this style.

The practical utilization would be a reverse grip hand positioning followed by the use of two daggers or learn how to make use of the dagger's properties to employ a front-wielding style.

Since the weapons were small in nature, it wouldn't compromise the speed of a strike. Hence, why most assassins adopted a dual dagger style. When their dexterity was high enough, the issue of dominant and non-dominant hands was tossed out the window.

As a novice at best, Lucian didn't possess the knowledge or experience required to properly employ this style.

Due to his awkward stance, when Lucian struck the hide of the boar, he felt a small throb in his wrist. Before he could pay any attention to it, however, the boar rammed its head into his chest, tossing him meters away.

By the time he recovered, Cezar stood over that same boar, flipping his dagger continuously as he stared at Lucian with a disappointed gaze, "Perhaps you're deserving of that F Rank rating you received. I'm not one to talk down, but you have to realize something—this is just the first wave."

As mentioned in the prompt, there was a 24-hour duration to this task. Meaning, everyone present would have to last 24 hours to be cleared as a Guardian. Yet, not even 10 minutes in, and not only was Lucian struggling to deal with a mere beast, but he also suffered quite a heavy blow.

〈Alert: You have received a heavy strike. Inferior Battle Suit sub-effect activated.〉

Thankfully, the suits were equipped enough to handle the strikes of a mere E Rank beast. When it came to beast rankings, E Rank was their beginning. The reason there was no F rank beast was related to the fact they didn't suffice.

As the Monolith was purposed with training Guardians, F Rank beast failed to meet the standard; plus, they were found in remote areas of Alteria and other minor worlds.

For a Guardian, at the very least, an E Rank monster was required, and that was just the beginning. With every advancement, the lack of difficulty and their sparse Mana levels would gradually lose all effectiveness.

To put it differently, the Monolith judged the rewards based on the difference in strength and difficulty of elimination.

If a B Rank Guardian defeated a D Rank Beast, then the outcome of the points would be diminished to 5% of the beast's value. This was another reason why once a Guardian reached a certain rank, they rarely wasted their time fighting weaker opponents. The weakest opponent they would fight against was their own ranking, but every battle was accompanied by unforeseen dangers.

Meanwhile, Lucian glanced over the alert, learning of the battle suit's ability to absorb a certain portion of the damage he received. Even then, it possessed a threshold, on top of a durability status. If he received too much damage, he ran the risk of trashing the suit before the end of the tutorial.

On the other hand, due to his lack of answers, Cezar gave him even more of a skeptical look, examining him closely, "Are you mute?"

"I'm not mute," Lucian responded immediately. Although it wasn't hostility, Lucian did harbor some objection over the matter of Cezar taking his enemy. Granted, Lucian also understood he wasn't a match for this person, but he was entitled to his own feelings, nonetheless.

"Then why didn't you answer?" Cezar asked, stepping closer to Lucian. From Lucian's earlier appearance, Cezar could tell he was doing something along the lines of reading. Apparently, this made him curious about the contents.

"I was reading the alert about this armor," Lucian responded, pinching at the battle suit covering his body. Since they weren't Guardians, they didn't possess the ability to inspect their equipment just yet, so they weren't privy to the effects embedded in their item, or if they even possessed them, for that matter.

Cezar was quiet for quite some time as he scrutinized Lucian, but then shrugged after a while.

"Anyway, like I was saying, this is only the beginning. If you can't handle yourself, then I feel sorry for you. Because you won't be able to take advantage of a Guardian's best ability!" Cezar revealed, crouching in front of Lucian, looking him eye to eye.

"What would that ability be?" Lucian asked curiously. He could tell at a glance that the individuals with elite abilities were the progeny of families or organizations equipped with prior Guardians, indicating they possessed more information than others.

"The ability to derive power from the being of this mystical place," Cezar chuckled. Afterward, without a care, he displayed his status window—something most Guardian's wouldn't do.

However, their abilities as candidates were lacking. They couldn't inspect their peers to find out the intricacies of their abilities, limited only to what the individual revealed. Only after becoming a Guardian with a certain level of Perception would possibilities arise.

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Name: Cezar Raiesh

Title: N/A

Archetype: Physical (Transformation)

Fractal Rating: D (S)

Authority: Nil

Health: 100%

MQ: 205/205 (3 Mana Units per min.)

[«Attributes»]-

»Strength: D

»Agility: D+

»Endurance: E+

»Dexterity: D

»Vitality: D

»Perception: D+

»Spirit: D

»Wisdom: D-

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[«Enhancements»]

»Points: 1.2

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[«Abilities»]-

» ??? [S Rank Ability]

» ??? [S- Rank Ability]

» ??? [A+ Rank Ability]

…

Bypassing his stats, Lucian's attention was first attracted to the point category under the Enhancements. Unlike Lucian's, whose value remained at 0, Cezar possessed 1.2 points. The only difference between their actions was the number of enemies slain.

'From what I saw, Cezar has only killed 4 enemies so far. So, I guess I can infer the value of the beasts is 0.3 points. The only question is...what the hell is the use for these points?' Lucian thought.

As for Cezar's ability, Lucian didn't even try guessing. All the information was sealed, leaving Lucian clueless. However, one thing remained clear. '3 strong abilities. I'll have to remain wary of him.'

Sometime after, Cezar canceled the display.

"If you fail to kill beasts, you'll just fall behind. From what I've been told, the floors of the Monolith aren't too fun. Hence, the tutorial is the best time to accumulate points. Sadly, it's also a race more than it is a team endeavor," Cezar said, shaking his head in the process.

Although the tutorial appeared to be a group examination on the surface, it actually tested the value of an individual. What's more, only the one who defeated the foe claimed the points. In other words, it was every man for himself, allegedly.

'Is that true? The objective of this test couldn't be so selfish, right? If that's the case, then I think I understand why the Guardians are regarded the way they are. Their self-indulgence is cultivated in this tower,' Lucian thought.

Finally, he rose to his feet, brushing off the damage. Although the battle suit absorbed a good amount of the blow's force, his health indicator dropped to 92%, suggesting some damage.

However, thanks to his endurance, his body was rather resilient despite his frail-looking physique. If someone else bearing his rank alongside lacking endurance thought of tanking the blow, the amount of health they were left with would be less than desirable.

"Cezar, retreat to the Guardian Stone's perimeter. Stop doing useless things and stay focused," Elaine commanded, a cold and indifferent look in her eyes. When her gaze fell on Lucian, he returned.

It was only for a moment, but she looked intrigued before glancing back at her objective.